Panic-stricken villagers in Hiranagar area of Kathua district on Saturday sent the entire security establishment into a tizzy by raising an alarm after one of the middle-aged women claimed to have sighted suspected militants, dressed in combat uniform and wearing black patkas near a Government primary school in Chajarth.
A high alert was sounded immediately after the police were informed and the traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway was halted to prevent any untoward incident involving passengers.The police check-points were activated swiftly as high alert was sounded by the police in the entire area.
According to reports, first of all a woman employed in the Government primary school in Chajarth spotted movement of two suspected militants near the school building.
According to her, the two men, dressed in combat uniform and carrying rucksack were drinking water in the vicinity of the school. As she ran towards the office building and raised an alarm the students also moved out of their class rooms and claimed to have sighted the two suspected men.
As the police party along with paramilitary forces launched a thorough search and combing operations in the nearby forest area of Chajarth, the policemen received another unconfirmed report of hostage crisis in a different school building in the area and an attack on the Hiranagar sports stadia.
As separate police teams were rushed to the spot to launch operations they returned empty handed after conducting thorough searches. Through out the day, senior police officers supervised the search and combing operations on the basis of unconfirmed reports and urged local residents not to fall prey to the rumour mongering and unconfirmed reports in order to maintain law and order situation.
Inspector General of Jammu police, Rajesh Kumar said that soon after receiving reports of suspected movement of militants in the area the police teams were rushed to the area to carry out search operations but none of the search party established any contact with the militant. He said the police and paramilitary forces are alert and maintaining tight vigil in the area following reports of suspected movement of people in the border area.